The University of Michigan is abandoning a pilot program that would have replaced traditional letter grades with a pass/fail model for first-semester students in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.
The program, announced in August, was set to launch in the fall of 2027 University President Domenico Grasso sent a letter to the dean who developed the plan, requesting a pause and citing extensive media coverage, distorted narratives, and misconceptions as contributing factors.
You can find the letter HERE.
"I worry further that our students could bear the consequences of those misperceptions, including being unfairly portrayed as coddled or unprepared for the demands of a rigorous Michigan education. Nothing could be further from the truth," Grasso said in the letter.
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I visited Michigan's campus to gauge student reaction to the decision.
Alina Stapf, a freshman from California, said the pass/fail model appealed to her as she adjusts to college life.
"For me it's been kind of complicated. I've never had so much work in my life," Stapf said of her first year.
She added that the proposed policy would have eased some of that pressure if it applied; however, it was not going to affect her personally.
"It would really help me shift into this new life for myself, and I wouldn't be so stressed for exams and everything," Stapf said.
She and others said they were mostly surprised by the reversal.
"I am surprised, very surprised. But since they were listening to feedback it makes sense to me," Stapf said.
Not all students were disappointed to see the plan dropped. Song Song Nguyen, a freshman, said the decision made sense to her.
"Are you surprised that they decided to change their minds and pull the plug on that?" I asked.
"No, because it's a bad idea. So they should rethink that, yes," Nguyen said.
Senior Silas Falde said he anticipated the controversy from the start, but was open to seeing how it would go even though he wasn't personally sold on the idea.
"I knew it was going to be controversial; I saw all the hate online," Falde said. "As a data scientist, I'm someone who likes a trial. Give it a shot, see if it works."
Junior Niloy Islam said his own experience as a first-year student shaped his view.
“I feel like it's kind of not fair,” Islam said of the grade covering plan. "I had to take some classes that were pretty hard my freshman year, and I was graded for it. So they should probably just stick to the original system."
Freshman Addy Howerd echoed that sentiment.
"University of Michigan is a top-tier university; they shouldn't be making it easier for no reason," Howerd said.
Graduate student Melissa Kadri was among those who supported the original idea.
"I kind of liked it because I like the fact, I want students to explore different paths and feel they're not so restricted to focusing on your GPA," Kadri said. “I don't think your first year really has to be so rigorous, especially because everything's new, everything's changing. You're going from one environment to another, you’re away from your parents.”
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